The ability to develop transgenic plants with improved traits depends in part on the identification of genes that are useful for production of transformed plants for expression of novel polypeptides. Microbial genes are of interest for expression in transgenic plants for a number of reasons. Bacteria and fungi have been well characterized as model organisms. Therefore there is a wide array of knowledge about the biochemical properties of the genes and pathways in these organisms that allows selection of target genes for expression in plants to produce specific effects on pathways of interest and generate transgenic plants having improved phenotypic properties. In addition, there is a great diversity of genes from which to choose in microorganisms. Of particular interest is the ability to express genes in plants that encode proteins that are not subject to the same types of enzymatic feedback as the native plant genes.